Timing is Everything
by lea-pee
Summary: Hello Peeps. This is a quickie. Have had the songs from the movie Country Strong stuck in my head and kept relating them to the Stephanine/Ranger/Joe characters. Please leave reviews :)


Disclaimer: The characters you recognize belong to Janet Evanovich.

This short story was inspired by a few songs, they are:

Timing Is Everything – Garrett Hedlund

Chances Are – Garrett Hedlund

Words I Couldn't Say – Leighton Meester

Give In To Me – Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester

**Timing is everything**

Stephanie carefully eased herself out from her car. She ached all over. It had been another day from hell. Skip tracing was far from glamorous.

"I need a life transplant," Stephanie said to herself.

She headed to her apartment building and waited for the elevator. A nice long bath was in order.

While the bath water was running, Stephanie downed two Advil.

She eased herself into the hot water of her bath and tried to relax. Unfortunately her mind had other ideas.

Not only had she had a hard day, but last night hadn't gone too well either. She'd planned on Pino's and a night in front of the TV with Joe.

But Joe had other ideas; he wanted to talk about their future. Joe was ready to settle down; when he told Stephanie that he loved her, she couldn't bring herself to say 'I love you' back. That was all it took for Joe to be in her face, he wasn't happy with her job choice, her friend choices. All in all, it had come back to all the same things they always fought about.

But this time it was different, this time was the final blow up. So here she was all alone in the quiet of her apartment with no one but herself to blame.

She could have had it all with Joe. Why couldn't she do what he'd asked and loved him the way he wanted her to?

Happiness had been at the tips of her fingers. The words had been on the tip of her tongue. Yet she couldn't bring herself to promise forever to Joe.

There was not going to be any second chance this time. She had no backup plan. She had no one to blame but herself.

The water had turned cold; Stephanie dried off and dressed in an oversized black t shirt and teal blue lacy thong.

Taking up her thinking position on her bed she went over it all again.

She had let it all slip away. All that she could hear was the silence and the words she couldn't say ran through her mind. What she should have said just wouldn't pass her lips, not to Joe anyway. So she held back and now it had come to this, she'd lost her good friend.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she succumbed to sleep.

Joe sat quietly on the stool, staring down at his scotch. He hadn't been at this bar before, he didn't normally drink, but the thought of going home was not appealing. So he'd pulled into the nearest bar on the way home.

Joe had a lot on his mind. He'd had his whole life planned out and it wasn't coming together like he'd hoped. He was ready to settle down and start a family. It was clear that Stephanie didn't want that. The break up last night was it, he thought. It was time to put Stephanie Plum behind him and build a future without her. It all sounded easy to him. But in his chest, his heart was breaking.

He took a slow sip of his drink; the amber liquid was going down easy and filled a warmth that was missing.

Joe felt the presence of someone standing over him. He lifted his eyes to meet Ranger.

Ranger just stood there, always a man of few words.

Joe downed the rest of his drink and nodded to the bar tender for another. "Better bring one for my friend here too," he said, tilting his head towards Ranger.

Ranger raised his eyebrow in question.

They took their drinks and Ranger motioned to a nearby booth.

Ranger took the side with his back against the back wall. Joe sat opposite.

Ranger had heard about the break up, it was all over the Burg. But he figured it would only be a matter of time before Joe and Steph were back together, as always.

"Not this time," Joe said. "This time it's over for good."

Ranger cared for Stephanie, hell if he admitted it to himself; he would say that he was in love with her. But he knew Joe was the better man for her. The more stable man, Joe could offer her a good life.

"Timing!" Joe stated. "Timing is everything."

Ranger gave a slight nod, encouraging Joe to go on.

"I shoulda married her when I got back from the navy, before that slime Dickie got his chance. We'd be happy now, we'd probably have a coupla kids..." Joe had a slight smile at the thought of kids with Steph.

"Even if I hadn't waited too long after she'd captured me, when I'd gone FTA. Maybe then we'd be happily married now?"

Ranger again gave a slight nod.

Tank appeared at the door, Ranger indicated for him to come over with a small hand gesture.

Ranger knew Tank would come looking for him when he'd notice his Porsche stopped at a bar for a while.

Probably the same reason Ranger had stopped at the bar when he'd seen Morrelli's car out front.

With Tank's arrival, Joe finished off his drink and offered Tank his seat.

"You right to drive?" Ranger asked.

"Yeah, that was only my second." With that, Joe grabbed a twenty from his pocket and laid it on the table.

Tank settled into the newly vacated seat and eyed Ranger.

"Timing. Timing is everything." Ranger murmured.

Tank raised an eyebrow and Ranger went on.

"I've had close calls, when it could've been me. I was young when I learned just how fragile life could be. I lost friends of mine, guess it wasn't my time. Timing is everything."

"Everything ok? With you and Morrelli?" Tank questioned.

"He and Steph broke up, seems its final this time." Ranger explained.

"Well, what are you waiting for? This is your chance." He encouraged his friend.

"I, I'm not sure she'll want me. I've said some really stupid things to her in the past." he said, deflated.

"Just go and check in on her, she might need a friend." Tank suggested.

Ranger nodded and they both got up to leave. They entered their cars and headed in opposite directions.

Ranger arrived at Steph's apartment and stood at the door. He couldn't hear anything, so silently let himself in.

Steph's apartment was dark. Ranger made his way towards the bedroom.

He saw Steph sprawled out on her bed, dried tear tracks on her checks. He moved towards the chair in the corner and picked up the throw rug. He placed it gently on over her body.

Ranger decided not to wake her and instead he wrote her a note.

Finding the light switch in the dining room and sitting at the table, he began to write on the legal pad that was already there.

_Babe,_

_I remember that day, when our eyes first met. I'm reminded that timing is everything._

_What you don't know is that I was planning on leaving Trenton that afternoon to locate permanently in Miami._

_If Connie had phoned me a day later, our paths may never have crossed._

_Well you can call it fate or destiny; sometimes it seems like a mystery._

_I know I've said some stupid things in the past and for that I'm sorry. _

_But know Babe, I'll always be here for you._

_love, C_

Stephanie woke to her alarm the next morning.

She crawled outta bed and towards the bathroom to take care of business.

Her home phone began to ring. Stephanie headed towards to kitchen just as the answering machine picked up.

"Stephanie, this is your Mother. What's this I hear about you and Joseph? I want you both here for dinner tonight so that we can put this nonsense behind us and plan your wedding."

Stephanie hit the erase button.

No way was she calling her Mother back.

She made coffee and a pop tart, breaking a corner off for Rex. She then settled down at her dining room table.

Ranger's note jumped out at her as she sat down.

Very cryptic, she thought.

But it gave her an idea. She tore the note from the pad and began to write her own note.

A note to herself.

_Note to self_

_Get better at my job or get a new job._

_Find a safer apartment._

_Talk to Joe about being friends. _

_Seduce Ranger._

Stephanie folded her note and the one Ranger had written together and tucked them into her pocket book.

It was still early, so she decided to phone and leave a message on the bonds office's answering machine, hence, avoiding questions.

"Hey Connie, I've decided to take the day off, will call in tomorrow."

So work was taken care of, now off to beautify myself, she thought.

Steph, scrubbed, shaved, plucked and moisturized. Applied her hair serum and dried her hair into soft ringlets. Four coats of mascara and some subtle pink lip gloss to finish off.

During the whole process, she gave herself a mental pep talk.

I'm gonna wear you down, I'm gonna make you see, I'm gonna get to you, You're gonna give in to me.

Deciding her tight black jeans and ankle boots were her sexiest, she squeezed into them. She pulled out a brilliant blue stretchy top with plunging neck line. She went through it on the bed while looking for her lacy blue push up bra. Whilst finishing getting dressed, Steph continued the pep talk.

I'm gonna start a fire, you're gonna feel the heat. I'm gonna burn for you, you're gonna melt for me.

All those thoughts of heat and fire gave Steph an idea. She headed for the kitchen, remembering a few months ago she'd purchased a whole heap of candles and put them under the sink on the off chance Joe was feeling romantic. She rolled her eyes at that thought.

Stephanie placed the candles around her lounge room. She lit them and closed her blinds. The room gave off a romantic atmosphere. What she needed was some romantic music. Flicking through her cd collection, she decided on Ronan Keating.

Stephanie's internal commentary continued; I'll use my eyes to draw you in, until I'm under your skin. I'll use my lips; I'll use my arms, come on, come on, and give in to me.

Steph grabbed her cell phone and hit speed dial one.

"Yo!" Ranger answered.

"Yo, yourself. Can you call round?"

"Be there in two."

"Two?"

"I'm in your parking lot."

With that he was gone. No time for backing out now. Steph made her way to the door. She opened it as Ranger approached.

She reached for his hand. "You're gonna take my hand, whisper the sweetest words, and if you're ever sad, I'll make you laugh and I'll chase the hurt."

She led him into the lounge room. "My heart is set on you, I don't want anyone else and if you don't want me, I guess I'll be all by myself."

Ranger smiled and wrapped his arms around Steph. They swayed to the music. Both were enjoying the moment.

No more words needed to be spoken.


End file.
